


Night Changes

by NovaStars42



Series: The Kids Aren't Alright [13]
Category: Homestuck
Genre: Dad Strider does not know Dave is dating Karkat, Dad Strider is a homophobe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fourth of July, Humanstuck, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Karkat is a bit jealous, M/M, Party, Pugs, Sibling Bonding, Sober Roxy Lalonde, Strider Family, Water Balloon Fights, davekat - Freeform, new puppy - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-25
Updated: 2016-07-25
Packaged: 2018-07-26 14:31:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7577788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NovaStars42/pseuds/NovaStars42
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For once, Dave is having a pretty good night. Alternatively, Karkat is not.</p><p>Directly fallows Not Listening.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Night Changes

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy!
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtdyYfT2Z3M&index=13&list=PLwBvGRZ4qTdnLZHpBumYJM2m92t14U8x6

This was probably the best Fourth of July we'd ever had.

Since Roxy decided to quit drinking, all her hangovers had dissolved into horrible withdrawal symptoms. Today though, I'd gotten her some ginger ale and she was doing pretty good with that and some watermelon.

Rose was herself. Rose could never be anybody but herself. She was like Dirk in that way. She tried to be all dark and broody, but she was sort of goofy when she wasn't acting like Edgar Allen Poe. She'd started today in the darkness of her bedroom, but now she was outside with the rest of us, laughing and playing with sparklers.

Jake English had been explicitly uninvited to our family Fourth of July party. Dirk was a bit forlorn about that, but it figured. Dad knew Dirk and Jake were dating. After he'd gotten over it though, Dirk had his shades on and a lighter in his hand, playing with firecrackers. He smiled wider than Kid with a mouth full of watermelon rind.

My dad was in rare form. In a good way. He acted like a dad.

He grilled hot dogs and corn on the grill, set out our picnic stuff and once it was done and over, sat back until it was time for fireworks. He was being so nice.

I felt like I was part of the cliche great American family, just lacking the mother.

My mother, my inebriated mother, was inside, and no one could coax her outside. I had no idea what she was doing in there.

"Dave!" My sister shouted, seconds before a water balloon pelted me in the face.

Rose laughed like a mad woman, Dirk standing behind her with a shit eating grin on his face.

"Aww, did Davey get his hair all wet?" Dirk mocked, holding up another balloon. He really back his arm to throw it, but he didn't get the chance. Roxy had snuck up behind him with the super soaker gun and hosed him down like a burning bra at a sixties peace rally.

"Now who's got wet hair?" My elder sister asked in a sing song voice. Dirk rolled his eyes and tried to use what little was left of his hair gel to fix his updo.

"I must admit, you have excellent aim Roxy," Rose grinned, still giggling a little. I knew she was planning something. Rose never complimented Roxy. Complimenting Roxy meant hugs, and Rose hated hugs.

"Do you really mean that, Rosey? You're sooo cute!" The super soaker was forgotten all of a sudden, tossed aside in favor of a sisterly embrace. Still grinning, Rose held her hand out and Dirk placed the water balloon he still held in her palm.

Before Rose could carry out her plan though, Roxy's hand moved, yanking Rose's shorts so far up her ass her wedgie had a wedgie.

Roxy pulled away laughing, dancing on her long legs over to me where she slung an arm around my shoulder and leaned on me like a door stop. "Had enough yet?"

"You wish," Dirk challenged.

I was sort of done with the whole water fight. It was getting dark and I wanted to start fireworks as soon as possible. Plus it was getting cold enough to turn my lips blue.

"Dirk!" My mother's voice cut the conversation. Both my dad and my brother looked in her direction.

"Dirk senior," mom corrected, smiling from the sliding door.

Dad got up from his seat at the picnic table and closed the door behind him. We watched them through the glass for just a moment. Mom was still smiling as she sloshed her drink around in her hand. Dad was about six inches taller than her, and he was looking down, smiling too.

My jaw almost dropped when he leaned down and kissed her. They both disappeared from view moments later.

"She must have signed the divorce papers for them both to be that happy," Dirk deadpanned.

"Dirk! Would you shut up!?" Roxy retorted, smacking her twin on the shoulder.

"Oww, why so hard?" Our brother whined.

Rose folded her arms, seemingly deep in thought. "Perhaps mother is having another baby?"

"Nah, she's on the pill," Roxy passed her off. Her comment earned a few concerned looks.

"What?" She asked, "don't tell me you've never seen her take them?"

That was more than I ever wanted to know about my mother. I stuck my tongue out.

"Maybe aunt Agatha is coming to visit?" I suggested.

Dirk pulled a face. "Dude, why would anyone be happy about that?"

I shrugged and shook the water out of my still dripping hair.

Dad appeared in the doorway about a minute later, and opened it, stepping to the side to let mom though. Pressed to the front of mom's white dress was this wiggling little creature, getting black hairs all over her.

"A puppy!" Roxy cried. She was nearly bouncing with joy. I could see Rose grinning too. Her and Dirk had the same smile as dad.

"Now be care- careful," our mother slurred, trying to sound serious, "he's jus' little."

"I told you, Dirk! I told you!" Roxy gushed, "I told you all we had to do was ask!"

Mom crossed the yard and allowed Roxy to scoop up the little pug from her arms. I kinda wondered if this was our parents way of congratulating Roxy on sobering up. The puppy squirmed, his smushed in face turning in every direction, panting and licking and eagerly meeting his new owners.

"Do we get to name him?" I asked, reaching over to scratch behind his ear.

Dad crossed the yard, standing next to mom and handing her back her drink. Mom took a sip before she answered. "You sure do, Sweetie."

"I suggest we name him Viceroy," Rose offered.

"That's too complicated, Rose," I smirked, reaching to scratch the puppy's little paw. "We should name him Jeff."

"That's dumb, Davey! We aren't naming him after your comic!" Roxy argued, "We should name him Frigglish!"

"You named the last cat," Rose huffed.

"Let's name him Hal," Dirk interjected finally. We all sort of exchanged glances. I still thought we should name him something ironic and funny but I guessed Hal was okay too. The debate was over just like that.

I whipped out my phone and took a picture of him, still wrapped in Roxy's arms. The flash bleached out the picture and made Hal's eyes glow, but I didn't care.

Behind our subdivision a firework went off, exploding in the air with a bang and a mass of color streaking across the sky. Hal turned and tapped excitedly, struggling to get out of Roxy's grip. It figures our dog would be the type to go after fireworks like an idiot instead of being afraid of them.

"My turn to hold the little dude," I insisted, moving to take him out of Roxy's arms. She handed him over and all of a sudden I had dog tongue all over my face.

My shades were smeared with spit but I didn't care. I was pretty sure his eyes were brown, but it was sort of hard to see behind my sunglasses though the dark. He made this little wheezing sound because of his smushed in face. It probably wasn't good, all that bad breeding and malformed muzzle junk, but I guessed it was kind of cute.

"Aw, man, this little guy is like hella adorable," I grinned, bouncing him a little in my arms.

Another firework went off, and Hal twisted in my arms to yap happily at it.

"That must be my cue to start the fireworks," Dirk grinned.

"You don't," mom hiccuped, "want to hold him, sweetie?"

"I will after. Gotta show up the neighbors first. Anyone seen my lighter?"

Dad drew his out of his pocket and tossed it to Dirk. We all sort of dispersed after that. Mom and dad went back to the picnic table. Dirk went to the garage and retrieved the brightly colored box of fireworks dad had spent way too much money on. I went with Rose and Roxy and let them sandwich me between them on the deck swing.

"My turn," Rose said, plucking Hal out of my arms shortly after we sat down.

"Your so grabby, you're practically of purse snatcher skill," I huffed. Rose hummed in agreement. I let her take him, because it wasn't like he'd gone very far.

Dirk lit the wick on the first firework, and it went screaming off into the air I was vaguely reminded of a certain shouty boyfriend of mine. I hadn't heard a peep from him all day. Strange. I guessed there was one way to remedy that.

"Dad, mom, can Karkat come over?" I shouted across the yard. I thought I had a pretty good chance of them saying yes. Dad didn't know Karkat and I were more than friends.

Mom's eyes never left her draining drink, so dad answered for her. "If his dad says it's alright."

I was pulling my phone out of my pocket in seconds, sending him a text message.

<<To: Vant-ass Message: hey, I don't know where your at but you could be at casa de strider here, holding the worlds cutest puppy. Timestamp: 9:45>>

I sent him the bad picture of Hal I'd taken earlier. He didn't reply right away.

"Hey, dad, could…" Dirk paused, half leaning down to light a firework with no flame to the lighter "could Jake come over?"

An unhappy look crossed Dad's face, but he did answer. "I suppose."

Rose perked up next to me, shifting Hal to her hip. "Dad?"

"Kanaya can too," he sighed. Before he knew it he'd have a yard full of gay teenagers. Rose handed Hal across my lap to Roxy so she could use her phone uninhibited. My phone binged with a message from Karkat.

<<From: Vant-ass Message: where the fuck did you get that thing? Timestamp:9:45>>

<<To: Vant-ass Message: mom brought him home. Best part of today was dad didn't fight her about him. Get your ass over here and pet him. Timestamp: 9:46>>

He didn't reply so I sent another message.

<<To: Vant-ass Message: come on roxys sober and dads being nice and dirk has fireworks hurry it up Timestamp: 9:47>>

That most have attracted his attention because he fired back fast.

<<From: Vant-ass Message: keep your too tight hipster pants on! Jeez! Desperate much? Timestamp: 9:47>>

I laughed a little and got up from my spot. I walked through the house and went out the front door to wait for my boyfriend in the driveway. He must have really wanted to get out of the house, before it wasn't even a minute later I saw him walk out. I heard the door slam behind him. He must be pretty pissed.

As he got closer, I noticed how puffy his cheeks were and how red his eyes were. He was probably six foot from me when I noticed the tear tracks.

"Dude, you okay?" I asked.

He didn't say anything. He just opened his arms and hugged me, burying his face in my shoulder. He took a deep breath and I didn't know if it was to calm himself down or try to drink in the smell of my laundry soak and skin. I hugged him back, rubbing my hand on his lower back.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"No. No, I never want to talk about it again," he replied, muffled into my shirt, "It's just a bunch of shit came up. My dad really fucked up this time."

"Are you hurt?" I quizzed, craning my neck to see if he was bruised or scraped.

"No. He didn't hit me. I just, I wouldnt, he never told me anything about my mom and he just, hides everything. I," Karkat drew in a another, sharper breath, " I hate him."

"Well, the only Mr. Vantas here is you, so no worries."

He laughed a little and his lips pressed gently on my jawline, right under my ear. "Thanks Strider. Now," he continued in his normal, grouchy tone, "I was promised fireworks and a puppy, where are they?"

I jutted my thumb over my shoulder, behind me. "Back yard."

We couldn't hold hands, or even lace our pinkie fingers, but we could sit next to each other on the edge of the deck. Kanaya showed up next, and let herself in through the front door. Jake, unsurprisingly, jumped the back fence like a god damn heathen instead of using the fucking gate. That kind of pissed my dad off, but Jake didn't care. Once Dirk had his boyfriend, the fireworks resumed.

Dirk and Jake both took turns with the lighter, sending explosions off into the sky. I got flashbacks from my past freshman science class. Lithium carbonate blew itself into red streaks across the sky. Sodium chloride painted yellow hues in to the navy blackness above.

I watched Dirk put his hand around Jake's hip, both laughing like dorks at some inside joke only they understood.

"What do you think Schrodinger's IT support is up to?" Karkat asked. He didn't look away from Dirk and Jake. He wanted that kind of intimacy too.

"Sollux? That douche is probably with his brother and Terezi's sister," I answered. So, I actually kind of liked Sollux. Between both of Karkat's other friends, him and Gamzee, I'd take Sollux any day.

"We should all do something together. All of us," he muttered. He looked up,at the sky, and his eyes lingered longer than the firework.

"Invite Terezi?" It wasn't a suggestion, I'd just left the 'are you inviting our once close friend who we've accidentally isolated because you liked her too and now we don't speak' as implied.

"I really fucked it up with her," he sighed.

"We both did. You live and you learn, man," I tried to comfort him. "She'll get over it."

"She hasn't spoken to me since," he huffed, crossing his arms.

I sighed, flipped my hair out of my eyes, and then reached over to hold his hand. His palms were clammy and his fingers were sort of trembling. He felt really, really bad.

"We'll figure out a way to make it up to her, dude," I offered. He just nodded and squeezed my hand.

I cared about Terezi a lot. The three of us used to be inseparable. It was weird to just have him and not her. It was weird to text her and never gain any ground. She wasn't speaking to me either.

I wasn't sure if I should take this romance thing and run with it or apologize profusely to both of them. Haha, funny joke Dave. You're the biggest asshole on the planet. Time to give it up now, and stop leading people on. Karkat thinks your serious and Terezi didn't think it was funny.

Except it wasn't a joke, and I was really sitting here, watching fireworks with my boyfriend. My boyfriend who I am totally serious about and Terezi still didn't think it was funny. Dirk twisted the wick on two fireworks, shooting them off together into the sky where they exploded with a boom and a long crackle of blues and reds. I squeezed Karkat's hand.

This wasn't a joke, and I was sort of glad.


End file.
